Agricultural Internet of Things sensor battery unmanned replacement device and method

Abstract

The invention discloses an agricultural Internet of Things sensor battery unmanned replacement device and method, the device comprises a conveying replacement mechanism and a battery storage mechanism which are installed on a walking machine, the conveying replacement mechanism is located on one side of the battery storage mechanism, and the battery storage mechanism comprises a battery library, a replacement mechanism, a cover plate and a battery pushing assembly; according to the unmanned replacing device and method for the agricultural internet-of-things sensor battery, the conveying and replacing mechanism on the walking machine is matched with the battery storage mechanism, the purpose of automatically replacing the sensor battery in a farmland is achieved, manual replacement is not needed, the position of the sensor is positioned and collected in advance, and when the battery needs to be replaced in the later period, manual replacement is not needed. And the walking machine moves to a corresponding position, and the conveying and replacing mechanism and the battery storage mechanism are matched to take out a new battery and install the new battery in the sensor, so that the purpose of timely replacing the new battery to guarantee continuous and normal operation of the sensor can be achieved, and recycling and storage of the old battery can be well completed.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention belongs to the technical field of agricultural sensors, and in particular to an unmanned battery replacement device and method for agricultural Internet of Things sensors. Background Art

[0002] In the agricultural sector, highly integrated sensors are typically used to collect environmental information, such as soil information. These finished sensors, in addition to the sensor header for physical measurement, also include data conditioning and processing units, data transceiver units, and other components. Their overall size is small, preventing collisions with agricultural machinery in the fields. To minimize interference from farmland poles and cables with machinery and prevent cable breakage from affecting sensor operation, advanced sensors are equipped with batteries and wireless transceiver units, eliminating the need for cables for power and data transmission. For example, finished sensors for measuring soil moisture are inserted deep into the soil, with only a small end exposed for wireless transmission and reception. After insertion, these slender soil moisture sensors rely on manual positioning during manual deployment. Automated deployment typically relies on automated insertion equipment to accurately determine the sensor's position in the field and facilitate understanding of moisture distribution at different locations. To reduce the number of poles in the field, long-term monitoring requires battery replacement if solar panels are not used for energy replenishment. However, the overall thickness of the sensor is mostly between 3-6cm. For high-precision RTK positioning, the accuracy is 2-3cm. The mechanical equipment during the measurement deployment has a first satellite positioning error, and the mechanical equipment during the automated replacement has a second satellite positioning error. In addition, the movement of the mechanical equipment will also produce walking errors. The cumulative alignment error of the sensor position can be as high as 10cm, making it difficult to complete automated replacement. Therefore, this application designs an unmanned battery replacement device that can be installed on unmanned farmland walking machinery to meet the needs of the majority of existing small sensor batteries deployed in farmland. Summary of the Invention

[0003] Purpose of the invention: To provide an unmanned replacement device and method for agricultural Internet of Things sensor batteries to meet the needs of automatic replacement of most existing small sensor batteries deployed in farmland.

[0004] Technical solution:

[0005] A device and method for unmanned replacement of batteries for agricultural Internet of Things sensors, comprising a conveying and replacing mechanism and a battery storage mechanism mounted on a walking machine. The conveying and replacing mechanism is located on one side of the battery storage mechanism. The battery storage mechanism comprises a battery storage, a replacement mechanism, a cover plate, and a battery pushing assembly. The cover plate is fixed to the top of the battery storage, and the replacement mechanism is provided on one side of the cover plate. A conveying trough is provided on the cover plate for arranging and placing batteries. The battery pushing assembly is provided in the battery storage for sequentially pushing the batteries in the conveying trough to the replacement mechanism.

[0006] The replacement mechanism includes a V-shaped plate and a rotating assembly. The V-shaped plate is rotatably connected to the top of the battery storage. A first replacement position and a second replacement position are symmetrically arranged on the V-shaped plate with the rotation center of the V-shaped plate as an axis. The V-shaped plate is also provided with a detection member, which is used to detect whether the battery located on the first replacement position is in place. The rotating assembly drives the V-shaped plate to rotate so that the first replacement position and the second replacement position are alternately positioned.

[0007] A first limiting mechanism is provided on the cover plate, and the first limiting mechanism is used to limit the batteries in the conveying trough. A second limiting mechanism is provided on the V-shaped plate, and the second limiting mechanism is used to clamp and limit the batteries located at the second replacement position.

[0008] The conveying and replacement mechanism includes a displacement component and a transmission component. The displacement component is installed on the walking machine. The transmission component lifts and places the battery through an electromagnetic adsorption component. The electromagnetic adsorption component is arranged on the top of the battery. The displacement component drives the transmission component to move to extract and replace the batteries in the farmland and on the replacement mechanism.

[0009] In a further embodiment, the displacement assembly includes a mounting beam, a telescopic rod, and a first guide rail, wherein the mounting beam is fixed to the walking machine, one end of the telescopic rod is fixed to the mounting beam, and the other end is connected to the first guide rail;

[0010] The conveying component includes an adsorption conveying member, which is installed on the first guide rail and is a magnetic object.

[0011] In a further embodiment, an entrance is reserved at the top of the battery storage, the entrance is located on the side of the V-shaped plate away from the cover plate, a V-shaped groove is provided on the side of the V-shaped plate close to the entrance, the entrance is connected to a recovery tank provided inside the battery storage, and the entrance allows the battery located at the first replacement position to enter the recovery tank.

[0012] In a further embodiment, the first replacement position includes an arc-shaped first replacement groove provided on the V-shaped plate, the arc-shaped opening of the first replacement groove being connected to the inlet, and the first replacement groove being located at the center of the V-shaped groove;

[0013] The detection member is used to detect the battery in the first replacement slot. The detection member includes two elastic copper sheets, one of which is located on the arc-shaped edge of the first replacement slot, and the other elastic copper sheet is fixed on the V-shaped plate and located below the first replacement slot.

[0014] In a further embodiment, the first limiting mechanism includes a first drive motor and a first baffle, the first baffle being slidably disposed in a first groove, the first groove being provided on the cover plate and communicating with the output slot, the first drive motor being disposed on the cover plate and driving the first baffle to rotate via a transmission member, so that the first baffle rotates in and out of the first groove;

[0015] The first blocking bar and the first groove are both arc-shaped.

[0016] In a further embodiment, the second replacement position includes an arc-shaped second replacement groove provided on the V-shaped plate, the arc-shaped opening of the second replacement groove correspondingly communicates with the conveying groove, and the second limiting mechanism is used to open and close the arc-shaped opening of the second replacement groove;

[0017] The second limiting mechanism includes a second baffle and a second driving motor. The second baffle is slidably disposed in a second groove. The second groove is provided on the V-shaped plate and communicates with the second replacement groove. The second driving motor is disposed on the V-shaped plate and drives the second baffle to rotate via a transmission member, so that the second baffle rotates in and out of the second groove.

[0018] The second blocking bar and the second groove are both arc-shaped.

[0019] In a further embodiment, the battery pushing assembly includes a pushing screw and a screw slider provided on the pushing screw, wherein the pushing screw is provided in the battery storage and is correspondingly located below the conveying trough, and the pushing screw drives the screw slider to push the batteries in the conveying trough to the position of the V-shaped plate;

[0020] The shape of the lead screw slider matches the shape of the portion of the battery located in the battery library.

[0021] In a further embodiment, the battery storage mechanism further includes a second guide rail, the second guide rail is mounted on the walking machine, the battery depot is slidably connected to the second guide rail, and the sliding directions of the second guide rail and the first guide rail are perpendicular to each other.

[0022] In a further embodiment, the battery includes a battery body and an annular battery groove opened on the battery body, and the battery body is engaged and matched with the first replacement groove, the second replacement groove and the conveying groove through the battery groove. The top of the battery body is provided with the electromagnetic adsorption component, and the electromagnetic adsorption component includes an electromagnet; so that the battery body can be matched with each groove in size and shape through the battery groove.

[0023] A method for replacing batteries using the unmanned battery replacement device for an agricultural Internet of Things sensor comprises the following steps:

[0024] Step 1: The walking machine receives the instruction and moves to the corresponding position in the farmland according to the preset data, so that the conveying and replacing mechanism extracts the battery of the sensor at the corresponding position;

[0025] Step 2: The conveying and replacing mechanism extracts the battery from the sensor and places it in the first replacement position. After the detection component detects that the battery is in place in the first replacement position, the electromagnetic attraction component of the battery on the first replacement position is disconnected from the conveying and replacing mechanism, and the rotating assembly drives the V-shaped plate to rotate counterclockwise by a preset angle and reset. During the counterclockwise rotation of the V-shaped plate, the battery in the first replacement position falls into the battery storage;

[0026] Step 3: The first limiting mechanism operates to open the conveying trough, and the battery pushing mechanism pushes the batteries in the conveying trough to the second replacement position. The first limiting mechanism and the second limiting mechanism operate, and the first limiting mechanism blocks the remaining batteries in the conveying trough, and the second limiting mechanism clamps the batteries in the second replacement position;

[0027] Step 4: The rotating assembly drives the V-shaped plate to rotate clockwise to a preset angle to complete the exchange between the first replacement position and the second replacement position;

[0028] Step 5: The electromagnetic adsorption part is turned on, so that the battery in the second replacement position is adsorbed and connected to the conveying and replacing mechanism 1, the second limiting mechanism is opened, and the conveying and replacing mechanism moves the battery in the second replacement position and installs it in the sensor.

[0029] Beneficial effects of the present invention:

[0030] (1) By setting up a conveying and replacing mechanism on the walking machine in conjunction with a battery storage mechanism, the purpose of automatically replacing sensor batteries in farmland is achieved. No manual replacement is required. It is only necessary to locate and collect the position of the sensor in advance. When the battery needs to be replaced later, the walking machine can be moved to the corresponding position. The conveying and replacing mechanism first takes out the old battery from the sensor, and then takes out the new battery from the battery storage mechanism and installs it in the sensor. That is, the purpose of timely replacing the new battery to ensure the continuous normal operation of the sensor can be achieved, and the recycling and storage of the old battery can also be completed well.

[0031] (2) By setting up a second guide rail to match the battery library, a purely mechanical structure is used to achieve the function of automatically aligning the new and old batteries. When the old battery enters the first replacement slot and touches the oblique edge of the V-shaped plate, the V-shaped plate can be pushed to drive the entire battery library to move horizontally along the second guide rail. As the old battery completely enters the first replacement slot, the central axis of the old battery will naturally align with the center of the first replacement slot at the end of the V-shaped slot after pushing the entire battery library to move horizontally. Therefore, after the new battery is flipped and replaced, it is in the same position as the old battery when it was originally adsorbed. Then, it is transported back to its original position in the reverse direction, completing the operation of completely aligning the positions of the new battery and the old battery. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0032] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of the front side of the present invention.

[0033] Figure 2 It is a schematic diagram of the battery body structure of the present invention.

[0034] Figure 3 It is a schematic diagram of the partial structure of the front side of the present invention.

[0035] Figure 4 It is a front structural schematic diagram of the battery storage mechanism of the present invention.

[0036] Figure 5 It is a bottom view structural diagram of the battery storage mechanism of the present invention.

[0037] Figure 6 It is a schematic diagram of the local structure of the conveying and replacing mechanism and the battery storage mechanism of the present invention when viewed from above.

[0038] The figures are marked as: conveying and replacing mechanism 1, adsorption conveying part 11, first guide rail 12, telescopic rod 13, mounting beam 14, battery storage mechanism 2, battery storage 21, second guide rail 22, battery body 3, battery groove 31, first limiting mechanism 4, first drive motor 41, first baffle 42, first groove 421, second limiting mechanism 5, second drive motor 51, second baffle 52, second groove 521, V-shaped plate 6, rotating assembly 61, detection part 62, first replacement groove 63, second replacement groove 64, cover plate 7, conveying groove 71, battery pushing assembly 8, pushing screw 81, screw slider 82. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0039] In the following description, numerous specific details are provided to provide a more thorough understanding of the present invention. However, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the present invention may be practiced without one or more of these details. In other instances, certain technical features well known in the art are not described to avoid confusion with the present invention.

[0040] The present invention will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0041] Reference Figure 1-6 , is an unmanned replacement device for agricultural Internet of Things sensor batteries disclosed in the present invention, comprising a conveying and replacing mechanism 1 and a battery storage mechanism 2 installed on a walking machine, the conveying and replacing mechanism 1 is located on one side of the battery storage mechanism 2, the battery storage mechanism 2 comprises a battery warehouse 21, a replacement mechanism, a cover plate 7 and a battery pushing assembly 8, the cover plate 7 is fixed on the top of the battery warehouse 21, the replacement mechanism is provided on one side of the cover plate 7, the cover plate 7 is provided with a conveying trough 71, the conveying trough 71 is used to arrange the batteries, and the battery pushing assembly 8 is provided in the battery warehouse 21 for pushing the batteries in the conveying trough 71 to the replacement mechanism in sequence. The battery warehouse 21 shown in the figure can store 5 batteries, and the battery warehouse 21 can be enlarged or reduced as needed; the replacement mechanism comprises a V-shaped plate 6 and a rotating assembly 61, the V-shaped plate 6 is rotatably connected to the top of the battery warehouse 21, and a first replacement position and a second replacement position are symmetrically provided on the V-shaped plate 6 with the rotation center of the V-shaped plate 6 as the axis. A detection member 62 is also provided on the plate 6, and the detection member 62 is used to detect whether the battery located at the first replacement position is placed in place, and the rotating component 61 drives the V-shaped plate 6 to rotate so that the completion positions of the first replacement position and the second replacement position are alternated; a first limiting mechanism 4 is provided on the cover plate 7, and the first limiting mechanism 4 is used to limit the battery in the conveying trough 71, and a second limiting mechanism 5 is provided on the V-shaped plate 6, and the second limiting mechanism 5 is used to clamp and limit the battery located at the second replacement position; the conveying and replacement mechanism 1 includes a displacement component and a transmission component, and the displacement component is installed on the walking machine, and the transmission component lifts and places the battery through an electromagnetic adsorption component, and the electromagnetic adsorption component can be optionally provided on the top of the battery or on the transmission component, so as to achieve adsorption between the battery and the transmission component, and the displacement component drives the transmission component to move to extract and replace the batteries in the farmland and on the replacement mechanism, and the conveying direction (length direction) of the transmission component is consistent with the driving direction of the walking machine.

[0042] The displacement assembly includes a mounting beam 14, a telescopic rod 13 and a first guide rail 12. The mounting beam 14 is fixed to the walking machine. One end of the telescopic rod 13 is fixed to the mounting beam 14, and the other end is connected to the first guide rail 12. The conveying assembly includes an adsorption conveying member 11, which is installed on the first guide rail 12. The adsorption conveying member 11 is a magnetic object, such as Figure 1The adsorption conveyor 11 shown is installed between the two first guide rails 12. The adsorption conveyor 11 can be moved horizontally by the first guide rails 12, approaching or moving away from the battery depot 21. The adsorption conveyor 11 is made of iron or other materials that can be magnetically adsorbed. In order to be able to be smoothly rolled onto the conveying roller, the surface of the flexible adsorption conveyor 11 is made of narrow and long iron sheets with the long sides parallel to the axis of the roller. The two first guide rails 12 are installed at the bottom of the four telescopic rods 13 and can be raised and lowered vertically. The telescopic rods 13 are installed on two mounting beams 14 structures and are fixedly installed on the body structure of the walking machine. During normal working movement, the adsorption conveyor 11 itself will not interfere with any part of the battery depot 21. When the vertical telescopic rod 13 moves up and down, the adsorption conveyor 11 is driven by the first guide rail 12 to move horizontally to the left in advance to leave the battery storage 21. The adsorption conveyor 11 can be installed on the first guide rail 12 so that it can be driven to move closer to or away from the battery when the first guide rail 12 is running. It can also be selected as a conveyor belt with its own transmission function, which can move with the operation of the first guide rail 12 and can also transport itself, further expanding the range of movement. The appropriate adsorption conveyor 11 can be selected according to actual operation requirements, and the electromagnetic adsorption separation of the adsorption conveyor 11 and the battery can be met.

[0043] An entrance is also reserved at the top of the battery library 21, and the entrance is located on the side of the V-shaped plate 6 away from the cover plate 7. A V-shaped groove is provided on the side of the V-shaped plate 6 close to the entrance. The entrance is connected to the recovery groove provided inside the battery library 21, and the entrance is for the battery located on the first replacement position to enter the recovery groove. When the battery on the first replacement position is placed in place, the rotating component 61 drives the V-shaped plate 6 to rotate counterclockwise by a small angle, and the battery will fall from the first replacement position into the recovery groove inside the battery library 21. Since the rear end face of the V-shaped plate 6 needs to fit the cross-section of the cover plate 7 of the battery library 21 after rotation, the end faces at both ends of the V-shaped plate 6 are convex arcs, and the end faces of the cover plate 7 of the battery library 21 and the V-shaped plate 6 that overlap are concave arcs of the same size, and the centers of the arcs are both the axis centers of the rotating shaft to avoid interference during rotation.

[0044] The first replacement position includes an arc-shaped first replacement groove 63 opened on the V-shaped plate 6, the arc-shaped opening of the first replacement groove 63 is connected to the entrance, and the first replacement groove 63 is located at the center of the V-shaped groove; the detection part 62 is used to detect the battery in the first replacement groove 63, and the detection part 62 includes two elastic copper sheets, one of which is located on the arc-shaped edge of the first replacement groove 63, and the other elastic copper sheet is fixed on the V-shaped plate 6 and is located below the first replacement groove 63. When the battery body 3 is placed in the first replacement groove 63 and its battery groove 31 is engaged with the first replacement groove 63, the two elastic copper sheets determine whether the battery is in place by detecting whether both electrodes of the battery are connected.

[0045] The first limiting mechanism 4 includes a first driving motor 41 and a first baffle 42, and the first baffle 42 is slidably arranged in the first groove 421. The first groove 421 is opened on the cover plate 7 and is connected to the output groove. The first driving motor 41 is arranged on the cover plate 7 and drives the first baffle 42 to rotate through the transmission member, so that the first baffle 42 is rotated in and out of the first groove 421; the first baffle 42 and the first groove 421 are both arc-shaped. When the battery is not needed to enter the second replacement position, the transmission member relied on by the first driving motor 41 is a forward and reverse gear rack structure to drive the first baffle 42 to rotate in the first groove 421, thereby achieving the purpose of rotating the first baffle 42 to move in and out of the conveying groove 71 while moving in the first groove 421. As the first baffle 42 rotates out of the first groove 421 and enters the conveying groove 71, it can block the battery in the conveying groove 71 at a position close to the second replacement position.

[0046] The second replacement position includes an arc-shaped second replacement groove 64 provided on the V-shaped plate 6, and the arc opening of the second replacement groove 64 corresponds to the communication with the conveying groove 71. The second limiting mechanism 5 is used to open and close the arc opening of the second replacement groove 64; the second limiting mechanism 5 includes a second baffle 52 and a second driving motor 51, the second baffle 52 is slidably provided in the second groove 521, the second groove 521 is provided on the V-shaped plate 6 and is communicated with the second replacement groove 64, the second driving motor 51 is provided on the V-shaped plate 6 and drives the second baffle 52 to rotate through the transmission member, so that the second baffle 52 is rotated in and out of the second groove 521; the second baffle 52 and the second groove 521 are both arc-shaped. After the battery is pushed into the second replacement groove 64 by the battery pushing assembly 8 and is in place, the second baffle 52 is rotated by the second driving motor 51 to block the battery in the second replacement groove 64 to prevent it from falling out. The transmission member relied on by the second driving motor 51 is a gear rack structure for forward and reverse rotation, thereby achieving the purpose of rotating the second baffle 52 in and out of the second groove 521. The battery in the first replacement slot 63 does not need to be locked by a barrier bar. Whether the battery is in place in the second replacement slot 64 is automatically determined by the stroke of the lead screw slider 82, and the lead screw slider 82 is accurately controlled in position by using a lead screw motor or the like.

[0047] The battery pushing assembly 8 includes a pushing screw 81 and a screw slider 82 provided on the pushing screw 81. The pushing screw 81 is provided in the battery storage 21 and is correspondingly located below the conveying trough 71. The pushing screw drives the screw slider 82 to push the batteries in the conveying trough 71 to the position of the V-shaped plate 6.

[0048] The shape of the lead screw slider 82 matches the shape of the portion of the battery located in the battery storage 21 . The operation of the lead screw 81 drives the lead screw slider 82 to slide, thereby pushing the battery to move in the conveying trough 71 .

[0049] The battery storage mechanism 2 also includes a second guide rail 22 mounted on the mobile machine. The battery storage 21 is slidably connected to the second guide rail 22. The sliding directions of the second guide rail 22 and the first guide rail 12 are perpendicular to each other, achieving automatic centering of the old and new batteries through a purely mechanical structure. The second guide rail 22 is fixedly attached to the mobile machine frame, allowing the battery storage 21 cover plate 7 and the entire battery storage 21 to freely translate along the guide rail. As the old battery enters the first replacement slot 63 of the V-shaped plate 6, the old battery's central axis is likely misaligned with the center of the first replacement slot 63, causing it to be attracted and prevented from moving perpendicular to the conveying direction. Therefore, when the old battery's depression strikes the hypotenuse of the V-shaped plate 6, it pushes the hypotenuse of the V-shaped slot to move, thereby pushing the entire battery storage 21 to translate along the guide rail. When the old battery is fully inserted into the first replacement slot 63, the translation of the entire battery storage 21 causes the old battery's central axis to naturally align with the center of the first replacement slot 63 at the end of the V-shaped slot. In this way, when the new battery is turned over (the rotation radius of the replacement slot center at the two replacement position end points relative to the rotation axis is consistent), it is the same as the position of the old battery when it was originally adsorbed (perpendicular to the conveying direction), and then it is conveyed back to its original position in the reverse direction (the reverse conveying distance is the same as the previous forward conveying distance), so that the position of the new battery can completely overlap with the old battery.

[0050] The battery includes a battery body 3 and an annular battery groove 31 provided on the battery body 3. The battery body 3 is engaged with the first replacement groove 63, the second replacement groove 64 and the conveying groove 71 through the battery groove 31. The top of the battery body 3 or the adsorption conveying member 11 is provided with the electromagnetic adsorption member. The electromagnetic adsorption member includes an electromagnet. When the battery in the farmland is transported to the first replacement groove 63 by the adsorption conveying member 11 and is detected and recovered in place, the electromagnet is disconnected. At this time, the rotating component 61 drives the V-shaped plate 6 to rotate counterclockwise by a small angle, and the battery will fall from the first replacement groove 63 into the recovery groove inside the battery library 21. When the V-shaped plate 6 switches two replacement positions, the battery in the second replacement groove 64 When the electromagnet of the battery is turned on, it can be adsorbed on the adsorption conveying part 11, and thus transported to the farmland by the adsorption conveying part 11 to complete the installation with the sensor. Regardless of whether the electromagnet is arranged on the top 3 of the battery or on the adsorption conveying part 11, when the electromagnet is energized and turned on, the adsorption operation between the battery body 3 and the adsorption conveying part 11 can be realized. Conversely, when the electromagnet is powered off, the battery body 3 and the adsorption conveying part 11 can also be separated. When there is a battery in the first replacement groove 63 of the V-shaped plate 6, the V-shaped plate 6 only rotates counterclockwise and resets; when there is a battery in the second replacement groove 64 of the V-shaped plate 6, the V-shaped plate 6 only rotates clockwise and resets. Therefore, there will be no interference between the mechanical structures, and there will not be batteries in the first replacement groove 63 and the second replacement groove 64 at the same time.

[0051] A method for replacing batteries using the unmanned battery replacement device for an agricultural Internet of Things sensor comprises the following steps:

[0052] Step 1: The walking machine receives instructions and moves to the corresponding position in the field according to preset data, allowing the transport and replacement mechanism 1 to extract the battery from the sensor at the corresponding position. The preset data includes inserting a sensor with a fully charged battery in the field. The unmanned walking machine inserts the sensor at the preset position. The sensor position is calculated using the walking machine's own RTK satellite positioning. For example, the walking machine's own satellite positioning position is the geometric center of the machine body. Based on the spatial relationship of the sensor's position within the mechanical structure of the machine body, the sensor's absolute position can be calculated. The sensor position is expressed in latitude, longitude, and top surface elevation, with a positioning accuracy of approximately 2-3 cm. Furthermore, the sensor periodically transmits soil data to the sensor management platform software based on research needs. The sensor management platform software records the sensor position upon insertion and uses it in conjunction with soil data for data analysis and mapping. The sensor also periodically reports its remaining battery life to the sensor management platform software. When the battery level falls below a preset threshold, the sensor management platform software prompts a battery replacement request. The unmanned walking machine then performs the replacement. When the walking machine reaches the vicinity of a sensor requiring battery replacement, it issues a command through the sensor management platform to temporarily take over the sensor's data link. Ensure that the sensor is located at the lower left side of the battery storage 21 shown on the conveyor belt. Driven by the first guide rail 12, the adsorption conveyor 11 is controlled by spatial coordinate conversion to make the geometric center of the adsorption conveyor 11 reach directly above the sensor as much as possible. Driven by the vertical telescopic rod 13, the adsorption conveyor 11 slowly descends and gradually approaches the top of the sensor battery (the height of the lower surface of the adsorption conveyor 11 and the height of the top of the sensor battery are both converted after positioning). At this time, the walking machine sends instructions to the sensor through the sensor management platform, and the electromagnet on the battery starts working. When the adsorption conveyor 11 detects that the battery is adsorbed on the adsorption conveyor 11 (for example, a force sensor or stress sensor is installed in the adsorption conveyor 11, which can detect that the adsorption conveyor 11 becomes heavier or vibrates. Or the power-off moment of the sensor is detected by the interruption of the data link), it stops descending and the walking machine records the descending distance.

[0053] Step 2: The conveying and replacement mechanism 1 extracts the battery from the sensor and places it in the first replacement position. After the detection part 62 detects that the battery is placed in the first replacement position, the electromagnetic adsorption part of the battery on the first replacement position is disconnected from the conveying and replacement mechanism 1, and the rotating component 61 drives the V-shaped plate 6 to rotate counterclockwise by a preset angle and reset. During the counterclockwise rotation of the V-shaped plate 6, the battery in the first replacement position falls into the battery warehouse 21. Since the second replacement position is empty when the V-shaped plate rotates at this time, according to the size design, the second replacement position will not collide with the adsorption conveyor as the V-shaped plate rotates a little. Specifically, the adsorption conveyor 11 returns to the preset height under the drive of the vertical telescopic rod 13, and then under the drive of the first guide rail 12, the adsorption conveyor 11 moves horizontally to the right close to the battery warehouse 21. The positioning error of the sensor battery and the adsorption conveyor 11 is 2-3cm. After the walking machine adjusts its own position to ensure that the positioning positions of the two are basically coincident, the maximum deviation between the two is 6cm. Therefore, the length and width of the adsorption conveyor 11 are at least 12cm. According to the walking machine's ability to accurately move and the diameter of the battery, adding a few centimeters of margin can ensure smooth adsorption. When the adsorption conveyor 11 moves horizontally to the right with the battery (at this time, both replacement positions of the V-shaped plate 6 are empty), it will contact the V-shaped groove on the left side of the V-shaped plate 6. Because the battery library 21 can move horizontally freely through the second guide rail 22, the V-shaped plate 6 will move horizontally with the battery library 21 perpendicular to the battery conveying direction. Finally, the central axis of the battery library 21 and the V-shaped plate 6 will pass through the battery axis. When the battery is completely entered into the first replacement position, the two positions of the battery touch the corresponding elastic copper sheet respectively. The circuit behind the elastic copper sheet will detect that there is a voltage input, and this voltage is the voltage of the battery with low power. The adsorption conveyor 11 stops, and the walking machine records the transport distance of the adsorption conveyor 11 according to the operating angle of the adsorption conveyor 11 motor. The circuitry behind the flexible copper sheet immediately charges the battery with a higher voltage. The battery detects this voltage, deactivating the electromagnet and separating it from the suction conveyor 11. The V-shaped plate 6 rotates slightly counterclockwise, and the battery falls into the battery recovery tank. When the circuitry behind the flexible copper sheet detects zero charging current, indicating the battery has fallen, the V-shaped plate 6 rotates clockwise to restore its level position.

[0054] Step 3: The first limiting mechanism 4 operates to open the conveying trough 71, and the battery pushing mechanism pushes the batteries in the conveying trough 71 to the second replacement position. The first limiting mechanism 4 and the second limiting mechanism 5 operate, and the first limiting mechanism 4 blocks the remaining batteries in the conveying trough 71, and the second limiting mechanism 5 clamps the batteries in the second replacement position; the first driving motor 41 starts to work, retracts the first baffle 42 to the first groove 421, (the first baffle 42 previously locked all batteries in the conveying trough 71), and the screw slider 82 starts to work under the action of the pushing screw 81. The screw slider 82 pushes the battery to the left, so that the leftmost battery enters the second replacement position of the V-shaped plate 6. After the battery is in place according to the rotation amount of the motor (such as a servo motor) that drives the pushing screw 81 to rotate (it can also be judged whether it is in place by two elastic copper sheets as in the previous step), the second driving motor 51 of the V-shaped plate 6 starts to work, so that the second baffle 52 extends from the second groove 521 to lock the battery. At the same time, the first limiting mechanism 4 works again, extending the first blocking bar 42 to lock the second battery on the left side and the batteries thereafter that have not entered the replacement position.

[0055] Step 4: The rotating assembly 61 drives the V-shaped plate 6 to rotate clockwise to a preset angle, completing the exchange between the first replacement position and the second replacement position. At this time, the top of the battery in the second replacement position is turned from the bottom to the top; the V-shaped plate 6 rotates clockwise, so that the top of the battery in the second replacement position reaches the surface of the adsorption conveyor 11. After the acceleration sensor inside the battery senses the upside-down flip, it activates the electromagnet and adsorbs it to the adsorption conveyor 11. The second limiting mechanism 5 starts to work, retracting the second baffle 52, that is, releasing the battery. At this time, the position of the battery on the adsorption conveyor 11 is the same as the position of the old battery. Therefore, the adsorption conveyor 11 transports the battery to the left, and the transport distance is equal to the transport distance of the adsorption conveyor 11 recorded in step 5. In this way, the battery reaches the same position as the old battery. Then the V-shaped plate 6 rotates counterclockwise to restore its original horizontal state.

[0056] Step 5: The electromagnetic attraction element is activated, allowing the battery in the second replacement position to attach to the conveyor mechanism 1. The second limiting mechanism 5 is opened, and the conveyor mechanism 1 moves the battery in the second replacement position to the sensor. Assuming the first and second guide rails are oriented in the x and y directions, respectively, the x-direction positioning of the new battery is determined by the distance the suction conveyor element transports the old battery to the first replacement position. This distance is recorded. When the new battery returns to the recorded distance with the suction conveyor element, the x-direction alignment of the new and old batteries is ensured. Therefore, the first guide rail does not move horizontally, thus preventing any x-direction movement of the suction conveyor element. When the suction conveyor element and the new battery are attached, the suction conveyor element 11 descends the distance recorded in step 2 via the vertical telescopic rod 13. The descent speed is then reduced to a very slow level until the electrodes contact the sensor. When the battery detects output current, the electromagnet is deactivated, and the battery separates from the suction conveyor element 11. The suction conveyor element 11 then ascends and returns to its original height, waiting for the next sensor battery to be replaced.

[0057] In step 1, the communication link of the sensor (data wireless transceiver unit) can also be directly borne by the battery, which can more flexibly control the switch of the battery electromagnet. For example, when the adsorption conveyor 11 descends to adsorb the old battery, the walking machine will judge when it reaches the top of the battery based on the position of the adsorption conveyor 11 and the top of the battery, and send a command to the battery, and the battery directly starts the electromagnet adsorption. When the old battery reaches the first replacement position, after the two elastic copper sheets receive the voltage of the old battery, the walking machine sends a command to the battery, and the battery directly turns off the electromagnet, eliminating the need for the subsequent circuit to use the charging voltage to activate the electromagnet function. When the new battery rotates to reach the lower surface of the adsorption conveyor 11, that is, when the V-shaped plate 6 completes the rotation, the walking machine will send a command to the battery, and the battery directly starts the electromagnet adsorption, instead of judging whether the battery is in place based on the acceleration sensor detecting the battery flip. When the new battery reaches the top of the sensor, the walking machine sends a command to the battery based on the timing of descending to the position, and the battery directly turns off the electromagnet and falls into the sensor.

[0058] While embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that various changes, modifications, substitutions, and variations may be made to these embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of the invention, and that the scope of the invention is defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

[0059] The preferred embodiments of the present invention are described in detail above in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to the specific details in the above embodiments. Within the technical concept of the present invention, various equivalent transformations can be made to the technical solutions of the present invention, and these equivalent transformations all fall within the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. An unmanned battery replacement device for agricultural IoT sensors, characterized by: The battery storage device comprises a conveying and replacing mechanism and a battery storage mechanism installed on a walking machine. The conveying and replacing mechanism is located on one side of the battery storage mechanism. The battery storage mechanism comprises a battery storage, a replacing mechanism, a cover plate, and a battery pushing assembly. The cover plate is fixed on the top of the battery storage, and the replacing mechanism is provided on one side of the cover plate. A conveying trough is provided on the cover plate, and the conveying trough is used to arrange and place batteries. The battery pushing assembly is provided in the battery storage and is used to push the batteries in the conveying trough to the replacing mechanism in sequence. The replacement mechanism includes a V-shaped plate and a rotating assembly. The V-shaped plate is rotatably connected to the top of the battery storage. A first replacement position and a second replacement position are symmetrically arranged on the V-shaped plate with the rotation center of the V-shaped plate as an axis. The V-shaped plate is also provided with a detection member, which is used to detect whether the battery located on the first replacement position is in place. The rotating assembly drives the V-shaped plate to rotate so that the first replacement position and the second replacement position are alternately positioned. A first limiting mechanism is provided on the cover plate, and the first limiting mechanism is used to limit the batteries in the conveying trough. A second limiting mechanism is provided on the V-shaped plate, and the second limiting mechanism is used to clamp and limit the batteries located at the second replacement position. The conveying and replacement mechanism includes a displacement component and a transmission component. The displacement component is installed on the walking machine. The transmission component lifts and places the battery through an electromagnetic adsorption component. The electromagnetic adsorption component is arranged on the top of the battery. The displacement component drives the transmission component to move to extract and replace the batteries in the farmland and on the replacement mechanism.

2. The unmanned battery replacement device for an agricultural IoT sensor according to claim 1, characterized in that: The displacement assembly includes a mounting beam, a telescopic rod and a first guide rail, wherein the mounting beam is fixed to the walking machine, one end of the telescopic rod is fixed to the mounting beam, and the other end is connected to the first guide rail; The conveying component includes an adsorption conveying member, which is installed on the first guide rail and is a magnetic object.

3. The unmanned battery replacement device for an agricultural IoT sensor according to claim 1, characterized in that: An entrance is also reserved at the top of the battery library. The entrance is located on the side of the V-shaped plate away from the cover plate. A V-shaped groove is provided on the side of the V-shaped plate close to the entrance. The entrance is connected to a recovery groove provided inside the battery library. The entrance allows the battery located at the first replacement position to enter the recovery groove.

4. The unmanned battery replacement device for an agricultural IoT sensor according to claim 3, characterized in that: The first replacement position includes an arc-shaped first replacement groove provided on the V-shaped plate, wherein the arc-shaped opening of the first replacement groove is connected to the inlet, and the first replacement groove is located at the center of the V-shaped groove; The detection member is used to detect the battery in the first replacement slot. The detection member includes two elastic copper sheets, one of which is located on the arc-shaped edge of the first replacement slot, and the other elastic copper sheet is fixed on the V-shaped plate and located below the first replacement slot.

5. The unmanned battery replacement device for an agricultural IoT sensor according to claim 1, characterized in that: The first limiting mechanism includes a first drive motor and a first baffle, the first baffle being slidably disposed in a first groove, the first groove being provided on the cover plate and communicating with the output slot, the first drive motor being disposed on the cover plate and driving the first baffle to rotate via a transmission member, so that the first baffle rotates in and out of the first groove; The first blocking bar and the first groove are both arc-shaped.

6. The unmanned battery replacement device for an agricultural IoT sensor according to claim 4, characterized in that: The second replacement position includes an arc-shaped second replacement groove provided on the V-shaped plate, the arc-shaped opening of the second replacement groove correspondingly communicates with the conveying groove, and the second limiting mechanism is used to open and close the arc-shaped opening of the second replacement groove; The second limiting mechanism includes a second baffle and a second driving motor. The second baffle is slidably disposed in a second groove. The second groove is provided on the V-shaped plate and communicates with the second replacement groove. The second driving motor is disposed on the V-shaped plate and drives the second baffle to rotate via a transmission member, so that the second baffle rotates in and out of the second groove. The second blocking bar and the second groove are both arc-shaped.

7. The unmanned battery replacement device for an agricultural IoT sensor according to claim 1, characterized in that: The battery pushing assembly includes a pushing screw and a screw slider provided on the pushing screw, wherein the pushing screw is provided in the battery storage and is correspondingly located below the conveying trough, and the pushing screw drives the screw slider to push the batteries in the conveying trough to the position of the V-shaped plate; The shape of the lead screw slider matches the shape of the portion of the battery located in the battery library.

8. The unmanned battery replacement device for an agricultural IoT sensor according to claim 2, characterized in that: The battery storage mechanism further includes a second guide rail, which is mounted on the walking machine. The battery storage is slidably connected to the second guide rail, and the sliding directions of the second guide rail and the first guide rail are perpendicular to each other.

9. The unmanned battery replacement device for an agricultural IoT sensor according to claim 6, characterized in that: The battery includes a battery body and an annular battery groove opened on the battery body. The battery body is engaged and matched with the first replacement groove, the second replacement groove and the conveying groove through the battery groove. The electromagnetic adsorption component is provided on the top of the battery body, and the electromagnetic adsorption component includes an electromagnet.

10. A method for replacing batteries using the unmanned battery replacement device for an agricultural Internet of Things sensor according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that: The steps include: Step 1: The walking machine receives the instruction and moves to the corresponding position in the farmland according to the preset data, so that the conveying and replacing mechanism extracts the battery of the sensor at the corresponding position; Step 2: The conveying and replacing mechanism extracts the battery from the sensor and places it in the first replacement position. After the detection component detects that the battery is in place in the first replacement position, the electromagnetic attraction component of the battery on the first replacement position is disconnected from the conveying and replacing mechanism, and the rotating assembly drives the V-shaped plate to rotate counterclockwise by a preset angle and reset. During the counterclockwise rotation of the V-shaped plate, the battery in the first replacement position falls into the battery storage; Step 3: The first limiting mechanism operates to open the conveying trough, and the battery pushing mechanism pushes the batteries in the conveying trough to the second replacement position. The first limiting mechanism and the second limiting mechanism operate, and the first limiting mechanism blocks the remaining batteries in the conveying trough, and the second limiting mechanism clamps the batteries in the second replacement position; Step 4: The rotating assembly drives the V-shaped plate to rotate clockwise to a preset angle to complete the exchange between the first replacement position and the second replacement position; Step 5: The electromagnetic adsorption part is turned on, so that the battery in the second replacement position is adsorbed and connected to the conveying and replacing mechanism 1, the second limiting mechanism is opened, and the conveying and replacing mechanism moves the battery in the second replacement position and installs it in the sensor.

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